According to an exclusive CNN report, Lt. Gen. Joseph “JP” McGee, Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy on the Joint Staff, was “pushed out” of his Pentagon post earlier this month after months of mounting tension with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan “Raizin” Caine. The disputes reportedly centered on issues ranging from Russia and Ukraine to U.S. military operations in the Caribbean.

Appointed by President Joe Biden in 2024, McGee was viewed by some within the Office of the Secretary of Defense as being too closely aligned with the Pentagon’s “old guard,” particularly former Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Both Hegseth and Caine were also said to have grown frustrated with McGee’s perceived slow pace of action—a complaint they reportedly shared toward Adm. Alvin Holsey, Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), who announced his retirement earlier this month following sharp disagreements with Hegseth and Caine over the legality of ongoing military strikes on suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean.